The Trump Administration released its new Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) export policy in April 2018. It constitutes the first update to the CAT policy since January 2014.

CSIS is hosting a public event to discuss the Administration’s new CAT policy. The event will commence with keynote remarks by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Tina Kaidanow. Following these remarks, a moderated panel consisting of government, think tank, and industry experts will contextualize and discuss challenges in implementation, as well as opportunities presented for U.S. strategy and U.S. business as a result of this policy update.

In his new book Invisible Countries: Journeys to the Edge of Nationhood, journalist Joshua Keating explores complex zones of identity and statehood. He brings us self-proclaimed countries—think Kurdistan, Somaliland, Abkhazia—that force us to question our conception of nationhood and suggest that our lengthy period of cartographical stasis may be coming to a head. New America is hosting Joshua for a conversation at New State Books with international tech policy analyst Miranda Bogen, and moderator Ishaan Tharoor of the Washington Post on how we’ll define nationhood in the future.

The Wilson Center is hosting an exclusive look at The Perfect Weapon, the striking and sobering new book by acclaimed New York Times National Security Correspondent David Sanger, who researched and wrote while in residence at the Wilson Center. The Perfect Weapon is the gripping inside story of how the rise of cyberweapons transformed geopolitics like nothing since the invention of the atomic bomb. Cheap to acquire, easy to deny, and usable for a variety of malicious purposes -- from crippling infrastructure to sowing discord and doubt -- cyber is now the weapon of choice for democracies, dictators, and terrorists.

The Center for a New American Security's (CNAS) annual conference will spur debate on U.S. foreign policy in an increasingly competitive world. From the United States’ response to China’s power plays, to shaping tomorrow’s force for new competitions, to projecting the future of U.S. economic power and international leadership capacity, each session will highlight CNAS’s ability to elevate the national security debate.

CSIS is hosting a timely discussion with scholars, experts, opinion leaders, and government officials from the United States and South Korea who will participate in a series of panel discussions focused on the historic inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korean summit meetings, the potential for denuclearization and building a peace regime on the Korean peninsula, and regional implications of summit diplomacy for Northeast Asia.

The inaugural Forum on the Arms Trade annual conference, "Taking Aim: A Closer Look at the Global Arms Trade," is a half-day event that will take place at the Stimson Center on May 22, 2018. The conference will feature leading experts, journalists, and members of civil society and the government. Join us as we look into the effects of the global arms trade on human and national security, and discuss how the U.S. can better assess risk when transferring arms.

The Atlantic Council's Future of Iran Initiative are hosting a discussion with Delphine O, a member of the French Parliament, and Omid Nouripour of the German Parliament, to discuss the ramifications of the US decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This decision by President Donald J. Trump could have far-reaching effects on US-European relations as well as Iran’s political and economic future. Barbara Slavin, director of the Initiative, will moderate.

The Future of Iran Initiative, the Global Business and Economics Program, and the Middle East Security Initiative are hostinga discussion on the ramifications of Trump’s decision on the likely responses of Iran and US European allies as well as the consequences for non-proliferation and conflict in the Middle East.

On April 26, Foreign Policy at Brookings will host a forum on the near term, global impacts of the recently released NDS. Panelists include military fellows from Brookings and other think tanks as well as a number of national security professionals with backgrounds in government and academia. General Robert Neller, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, will headline the event, with a discussion on resetting the Department of Defense under the 2018 NDS. Brookings President John R. Allen will join General Neller for the discussion.

Foreign Policy at Brookings is hosting Brigadier General Roger B. Turner, Jr., recently back from a tour in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, to discuss the current state of the conflict there. After opening remarks from General Turner, Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon will pose several questions to the general.

The Wilson Center is hosting a discussion on U.S. national security and the Korean peninsula from the perspectives of a former senior ranking official of the Kim Jong-un regime, a professor of St Petersburg University, and a renowned author on issues related to North Korea at a conference hosted jointly with the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS).

CSIS is hosting a discussion to explore how the U.S.-Russia relationship has for decades shaped the development and deployment of ballistic missile defenses. This discussion will feature Dr. James Cameron, whose new book The Double Game (2017) examines the complicated motivations and reservations of the American presidents who negotiated the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union.

Hudson Institute will host a discussion on the work of the Nuclear Verification Capabilities Independent Task Force of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Task Force members will discuss their most recent report, Nuclear Monitoring and Verification in the Digital Age.

The Foreign Policy program at Brookings is hosting a discussion on the future of warfare and multi-domain battlespaces. General James M. Holmes of the U.S. Air Force, and commander of Air Combat Command, with give opening remarks. Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon will then join General Holmes for a discussion, adding his own perspective.

CSIS and the United States Naval Institute (USNI) are hosting a Maritime Security Dialogue event featuring a discussion with General Robert B. Neller, 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.

Senator Ted Cruz, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, has introduced several pieces of legislation to address the threats emanating from North Korea. Senator Cruz will offer remarks on the latest North Korean threats and how the United States is responding. He will provide insights into what else the United States could and should do to provide maximum protection for the American people.

In a conversation with retired Admiral Mark Ferguson, former Commander of US Naval Forces Europe, Africa, and NATO’s JFC-Naples, Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone will provide an update on NATO’s naval operations and exercises, the evolving security environment and the return of the Russian navy, MARCOM's role in enhancing deterrence, NATO cooperation with EU missions, the range of maritime challenges across Europe, and will discuss the way forward in reconstructing Alliance sea power to respond to competition, deter aggression, and to project stability.

The Heritage Foundation is hosting a panel and an ensuing discussion on the principles of the NSS, how it compares with those of other recent administrations, what it tells us about the direction of the Trump Presidency and the conservative movement, the policies that the Administration should follow to make its principles a reality, and whether the NSS offers the guidance the United States needs to tackle our most vital national security threats while putting America first.

The Heritage Foundation is hosting an event to discuss President Trump's stated intent to “eradicate” radical Islamic terrorism while the threat posed by the ideology remains alarming and will continue to pose a significant challenge for years to come.

The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center is hosting a panel discussion on the civilian elements of the new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan, including the reform process, internal politics, economics, and how the Afghan government plans to deliver on its pledges.

What are the implications of North Korea’s recent gains in nuclear and missile capabilities for the future of U.S. strategy toward North Korea? What is the state of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technologies? What are the prospects of diplomatic negotiations with Pyongyang? Should the United States pursue a different strategy toward North Korea in light of Pyongyang’s improving nuclear capabilities, perhaps including revising its alliance with South Korea? The Cato Institute will host two panels and a keynote address by former governor Bill Richardson to examine these critical questions.

The Heritage Foundation is hosting a Joint International Symposium of the Institute of National Security Strategy (Seoul) for a discussion by U.S. and South Korean experts who will discuss the need for stronger bilateral relations in times of turmoil, the foreign policy of the South Korean Moon Jae-in Administration, and the policy options for sanctions and financial pressure.

The Stimson Center and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic are co-hosting a panel event on issues surrounding U.S. drone policy under the Trump administration. The panel will discuss and evaluate past U.S. practice, analyze recent developments, and assess the Trump administration’s approach to the use of force, transparency, and accountability.

Join the Bipartisan Policy Center and Institut des Amériques for a critical examination of the origins, strategies and consequences of Turkish diplomacy and the struggles of the complicated trilateral relations between Turkey, Europe and the United States.

The Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program is controversial for a variety of reasons. Is the government’s theory of radicalization sound? Is the Muslim community unfairly singled out? Are targeted communities compromising their rights by assisting the government, or is this a productive partnership? Has the election of Donald Trump changed the CVE discussion? Join us for a timely and important debate.

INTERCROSS

Intercross is the blog of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington D.C.. It is a place for timely news, commentary on armed conflict and violence, humanitarian action, and the rules of war.

Intercross was started in 2011 as a blog and morphed into a podcast-only site in December 2018. (We are no longer actively adding blog content to the site, however you can still peruse our archive of rich content from the beginning here.)

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